


Silks

by SharkGirl



Series: Cirque de Glace [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aerial Silk Artist!Christophe, Aerial Silk Artist!Yuuri, Alternate Universe - Circus, Cirque de Glace, M/M, Ringmaster!Victor, circus AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 19:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9086650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: At that moment, Yuuri was pulling himself up, twirling powerful legs around the silks until they were wrapped tightly around him, holding his weight as he arched his back, his legs spread wide.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! Okay, so this all started because I made a joke about the Oblivious!Crispinos and it sounded like they were some high-flying trapeze act. Then my imagination went wild.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this AU!! I'm having a lot of fun with it.  
> If you're curious about the aerial silks, check [this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_silk) out.
> 
> Beta'd by the lovely indevan~  
> Please enjoy!!

Victor pored over the data before him.  Ticket sales, most popular merchandise, guest reviews on their webpage, as well as personal blog posts with _#Cirque de Glace_ in the tags.  He’d done it again, they’d said.  Put together the Greatest Show on Earth. 

Of course, he couldn’t take all the credit.  Sure, he’d handpicked the performers in his troupe.  Scouted them from all over the globe, finding them performing in alleys and subway stations for coins, or stealing them away from shows for which they’d grown ‘too big.’  He followed internet sensations, taking them under his wing, knowing that only he could bring out their full potential.

But it wasn’t enough.

The audience was always captivated by his troupe’s performances.  Awe and wonder shone in their eyes as they watched the impressive high wire acts and the twins on the trapeze.  A collective gasp always resounded whenever their daredevil flew through the air or their tamer leapt through the flaming hoop along with one of his tigers.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Victor strived to surprise the audience, to overwhelm them and to leave them quivering, shaking, and wanting more.  When he was a performer, back before he’d inherited his current position from the previous ringmaster, all eyes had been on him.  He, who could draw attention even during the finale when all the performers were onstage.  He, who tried things no one else had ever attempted before.

But what could he do now?  What was left to do?  He’d collected quite a troupe of amazing, young talent and yet…there was something missing.

“Keep pulling on your hair like that and you’ll end up looking like your predecessor,” a voice teased from the door to his office.  Victor looked up and smiled at his old friend.

“Chris.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you stressed before,” the other man said, batting his eyelashes. “It’s not a good look on you, Victor.”

“I don’t suppose it is.” Victor closed his laptop and rubbed his eyes, sore from staring at the screen for so long.  He glanced up at the blond, noting the towel around his neck and the sweat that still clung to the tips of his curls, dripping down onto his neck. “Getting in some practice?” he asked.

“Gotta keep up with these young kids.” Christophe flashed him a grin. “You wouldn’t want me to get rusty, now would you?”

Victor tried not to think of that as a jab toward himself.  He and Christophe used to perform together as aerial silk artists before Yakov retired and gave the role of ringleader over to Victor.  Ah, but sometimes he missed it.  He longed for the tension of the silks, the burning stretch of his limbs, and the freefall feeling he got when he’d release, only to catch himself before ever touching the ground.

But now he was too busy to enjoy it.  And Christophe had a new partner with whom to perform.  Speaking of…

“Where is Yuuri?” Victor asked, wondering if one of their latest additions to the troupe had also decided to practice after their show had ended.

“Still up there,” Christophe replied with a wistful sigh. “I’m not that much older than him, but his stamina is crazy.” He shook his head and dabbed his chin with his towel. “He was already working when I got there.”

Hmm.  Perhaps Victor should pay Yuuri a little visit.  It was one thing to practice, but overworking could lead to injury and he certainly didn’t want to be down an entertainer for their show the following night.

“You should go check on him,” Christophe said as if he’d read his mind. “Some time on the silks might do you good. Loosen you up a bit.”

“I think I will,” Victor began, pushing back his desk chair and stretching his arms over his head. “Check on him, I mean.”

“Suit yourself,” the other man shrugged. “But you might change your mind when you see what he’s working on.” With an devious grin, Christophe walked down the hall toward the locker room.

Victor raised his brows, but he knew better than to follow after him and ask.  He’d just simply see for himself.

Their current venue was quite large, with a labyrinth-like infrastructure.  If one wasn’t careful, it was easy to get lost taking too many turns down the long hallways.  But Victor knew where he was going.  The silks were still set up on the stage and where better to practice than where they perform?

The lights were low when he walked into the stadium.  But there was a soft white glow coming from below the center ring.  It was there that he found Katsuki Yuuri, a young man who intrigued him more than any of his other acquisitions.

Sure, Victor had found rising stars by watching viral videos before, but Yuuri was different.  It might have been the tenacity with which he danced in the air, the way he seemed to make music with his body, or perhaps it was the way he contorted.  He was so graceful, so beautiful, so…erotic.

But what drew Victor to Yuuri most was his routine.  It was very familiar because Victor had choreographed it himself.  It was his most difficult piece and, although the other young man hadn’t completed it flawlessly, he performed it with more passion that Victor had ever remembered having while he was onstage.

At the moment, Yuuri was pulling himself up, twirling powerful legs around the silks until they were wrapped tightly around him, holding his weight as he arched his back, his legs spread wide.  He was trying something, but it looked like he couldn’t quite get the maneuver just right.  He un-looped one of his legs and pointed his toe high in the air.  But he gave an annoyed grunt when he didn’t slide into the desired position.

“It took me four months to get that one down,” Victor said, his voice loud in the near silent stadium.

Yuuri jumped and let out a squawk, obviously startled.  And then he was falling, his body spinning every which way as the silk unraveled from around him.  The fabric pulled taught when he finally caught himself, upside down in a wide straddle, his back to Victor.  Or, more accurately, his backside was in Victor’s face.

“Working hard, Yuuri?” he asked, peering down between his legs and biting back a chuckle at how red the other man’s face had become.

“V-Victor,” he sputtered, trying to pull himself upright and out of the embarrassing spread eagle.

“You’ve almost got it.” Victor reached down and offered Yuuri one of his hands, which the other bashfully accepted, before helping him up.  “I do think you should call it a night, though,” he added once Yuuri had disentangled himself.

“Just a bit more and I think I can-”

“ _Yuuri._ ”

The younger man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back with sweat.  Though, honestly, Victor thought he looked better that way.

“Yeah. Okay.”

“Good boy.” Victor beamed and handed him the towel that was resting on top of a water bottle nearby.  “I’m always happy to see my performers striving to better themselves, but I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Yuuri didn’t respond at first.  He took a sip of his water and looked up at the silks.  Then he spoke. “Four months, huh?”

“And three days, six hours, and twenty-seven minutes,” Victor added. “Not that I’d been counting.”

“Is that right?” Yuuri chuckled and his shoulders finally relaxed.

“Perhaps I was being a bit facetious with those particulars just now.” He brought a hand to his mouth, his index finger rubbing over his lips as he studied the red flowing fabric above them. “But I was determined and it was quite frustrating.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed, taking another sip of his water.

“But when I perfected it,” Victor closed his eyes and smiled, picturing the exact moment. “Ah, it felt amazing.”

“Why don’t you perform anymore?” Yuuri asked and then immediately followed with. “I mean, it’s none of my business and I know you’re busy, but I was just curious because, you know, it was after my parents took me to one of your shows that I decided to-”

“Yuuri,” he interrupted him with a stern voice and then smiled softly. “It’s true that my new position keeps me busy.” He sighed, thinking of all the work he’d left undone at his desk.

“Do you miss it?” Yuuri set his water down, his big brown eyes staring up at Victor with concern and something else he couldn’t quite place.

“I do,” he admitted. “But, there’s work to be done and you,” he pointed at him, “need to take a break before you pull something.” He offered him a smile. “But,” he looked up again. “Maybe someday…” He walked toward the door, but stopped when Yuuri called after him.

“I’d like to see that,” he began and then averted his eyes. “To see you perform again.” He gave a small smile. “It was seeing you perform that inspired me to give aerial a try.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Yuuri-”

“Maybe,” he interrupted him, his cheeks tinting. “Maybe you could show me how to do it.” He met Victor’s gaze dead on. “I want to nail that move before next season.”

“Yuuri.” Victor turned the rest of the way around to face him. “I appreciate your dedication, but I don’t really have the time.” He closed the distance between them and brought a hand up to cup Yuuri’s flushed and sweat-dampened cheek. “Though, I can’t wait to see how you’ll look doing it.”

“Victor…”

“But, before that.” Victor gave Yuuri’s cheek a couple pats. “The next time you want to stay up late and practice new moves on the silks without a net, _by yourself_ ,” he let his eyes slip closed and gave him a fake, mildly threatening smile. “Just ask me first.” He pulled back and smiled for real. “Maybe I’ll join you.”

Yuuri’s face turned bright red, but he nodded.  He began to gather up his things and then paused, teeth worrying at his bottom lip.

“Yuuri?”

“And now’s not a good time?” he asked, his brown eyes impossibly large.

“Yuuri…”

“I know you said you’re busy, but if you could just show me once, I’m pretty sure I could-”

“You won’t let this rest until I do it, will you?” he asked, hands on his hips.  Yuuri gave an impish grin and shrugged his shoulders.  Sometimes Victor wondered if the other man played to his strengths or if his ability to wrap men around his finger just came naturally.  “Fine.”

“Really?” The other man’s eyes lit up.

“Just once and then I really need to get back to work.” He removed his cardigan and rolled up his sleeves.  It had been ages since he’d felt rosin on his hands, the smell bringing back pleasant memories.  He could almost picture the crowd around him, cheering from their seats as he performed for them.

Before he knew it, Victor was going through the motions, his back arching, his muscles screaming at him from not properly stretching and months of neglect.  But it was like riding a bicycle.  The tension of the silks, the weightless feeling, the way the room spun as he changed positions.

He knew he shouldn’t do the particular move Yuuri had in mind.  He wasn’t feeling nostalgic enough to injure himself.  But he could at least enjoy his little respite from his responsibilities.  He spotted Yuuri staring up at him, enamored.  Well, perhaps he could do a little something for his captive audience.  But he didn’t get the chance.

“Victor!” someone called, interrupting them.  With a sigh, he unraveled himself, sliding down and landing gracefully.

“What is it, Mila?”

“That new guy from the stunt show is here,” she informed him.  Ah, yes, his newest acquisition.  “Should I send him to your office?”

“No, I’ll go meet him,” he said and she nodded before walking off.  He turned back toward Yuuri.  “A ringmaster’s work is never done.” He chuckled and started to walk off again.

“Victor.” Yuuri reached out and grabbed his wrist before immediately releasing him. “Uh.” He glanced down and then looked him straight in the eye. “I’m going to master that move and, when I do, I’d like you to add it into the show.”

Victor raised his brows, but couldn’t keep the grin from his face.

“Show me when you do. I’d love to see it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, who else is joining this troupe? Please look forward to more of this AU ^^
> 
> Let me know what you think and hit me up on tumblr [@jubesy](http://jubesy.tumblr.com)!


End file.
